lots of good stuff. who kicks off? will redman be goal line back? will d. dixon help arians formulate the gameplan, etc.

Mike Tomlin, coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
We’ve got a formidable opponent in the Atlanta Falcons. When you look at them offensively they have one of the premier young signal-callers in football in Matt Ryan. He does a lot of things – just about everything – well. He plays smart, he’s tough, he has a strong arm, he’s mobile, he makes good decisions, spreads the ball around to a variety of people. Some of those are the likes of Tony Gonzalez, the legendary tight end; Roddy White, a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver with three straight 1,000-yard seasons. Running the ball for them is Michael Turner. He’s a tough guy to wrap up. He’s got a low center of gravity, very powerful, surprisingly fast. He’s just a guy we’ve got to be prepared to deal with. It’s got to be a hit-and-wrap week for us. We’ve got to get multiple hats to the football to corral this man. He’s supplemented by some other guys who are very versatile and do a lot of things well like (Jason) Snelling, who’s a versatile third-down multi-purpose back for them. Up front they’re anchored by Sam Baker and company. They do a nice job of protecting Matt Ryan. He doesn’t get taken down quite often.

Defensively, they play a lot of people up front, particularly at the defensive end position. John Abraham is a disruptive force and has been in this league for a long time. First-round draft pick Jamaal Anderson is at the other end. These guys are supplemented by Chauncey Davis, a very stout run defender; (Kroy) Biermann, who is a relentless pursuer of the football and a highly productive man in his own right. On the second level, (Curtis) Lofton, the man in the middle, is an emerging young player who runs and hits extremely well. The rookie (Sean) Weatherspoon didn’t take any time getting into the lineup, and if you watch August football you see why he’s going to be starting for those guys. On the back end they have some solid young corners in (Christoper) Owens and (Brent) Grimes but I’m sure they

Q: How much input will Dennis have with Bruce Arians when the game plan is made?

A: Similar to Ben (Roethlisberger). It’s a practical protocol we have with the quarterback who is starting the game. It wouldn’t be sharp coaching to implement a plan without input from the man that’s going to orchestrate that plan.

Q: Is Dennis holding the position until Byron Leftwich comes back?

A: It depends on how he plays. That’s just the nature of the National Football League. Anyone who’d suggest anything different is misinformed or misleading you. Injuries are part of the game. They’re unfortunate but they also provide opportunities for others. What others do with those opportunities oftentimes determines what happens going forward. I acknowledge that.

Q: In what ways is Dixon better now than he was a year ago, or even at the start of training camp?

A: Just in general, overall mastery of our offense, the spewing of the verbiage, the fluid understanding of where to distribute the football, the understanding of protections and so forth. I just think it’s the natural maturation process that a young player goes through. He’s in the process of becoming a veteran-like player. Playing is a big part of that, and that’s why this opportunity he’s getting is so big for him personally.

Q: Will Mendenhall stay in on third downs? And will you keep an eye on how many touches he gets?

A: We are going to monitor his touches. It’s the appropriate thing to do this early in the season. He is going to stay in and he’s capable of staying in on third downs, but we’re also capable of inserting a Mewelde Moore or even an Isaac Redman. We’ll be thoughtfully non-rhythmic here as we get started, for different reasons: one, to preserve Rashard, but also to be inclusive in terms of the contributions of those men.

Q: Will you try to keep Dennis’s running reigned in?

A: You just want him to do what comes natural. If he’s playing on instinct and knowledge, it’s like running water. If you give him too much instruction in terms of the things you’re talking about, then it’s not going to be natural, it’s not going to be fluid, it’s not going to be comfortable, and those are things I want his performance to be.

long interview... see link....

StainlessStill

09-07-2010, 07:41 PM

.. and it's only Tuesday?! SH!T BALLS! I'm so unbelievably ready it isn't even funny. :tt04:

A: You just want him to do what comes natural. If he’s playing on instinct and knowledge, it’s like running water. If you give him too much instruction in terms of the things you’re talking about, then it’s not going to be natural, it’s not going to be fluid, it’s not going to be comfortable, and those are things I want his performance to be.

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So Tomlin IS going to let Dixon run.

Excellent!

Run Dixon Run!

StainlessStill

09-07-2010, 10:15 PM

Q: Will you try to keep Dennis’s running reigned in?

A: You just want him to do what comes natural. If he’s playing on instinct and knowledge, it’s like running water. If you give him too much instruction in terms of the things you’re talking about, then it’s not going to be natural, it’s not going to be fluid, it’s not going to be comfortable, and those are things I want his performance to be.

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So Tomlin IS going to let Dixon run.

Excellent!

Run Dixon Run!

..not if Bruce Arians has anything to say about it. We all know Arians runs his offense the way HE runs it. I wouldn't be shocked if Dixon does indeed impress from the pocket and look straight down the gun barrel and deliver..

.. we already know what he can do with his legs.

MattsMe

09-08-2010, 01:20 AM

Q: Was Charlie Batch’s experience as a backup a factor in your decision to start Dennis Dixon?

A: No. Really it was kind of in the bigger scheme of things in how we established a pecking order in terms of distributing the reps and really giving guys an opportunity to compete going into training camp. We established a pecking order based on the information we had coming out of the off-season – OTAs and minicamps and so forth. No question Charlie’s experience was part of the equation.

Great read, but maybe Tomlin should consider politics when he's done with coaching.

Ruffneck525

09-08-2010, 01:25 AM

biggiest thing for these 4 games is not the QB playing.. it's our defense.. they have to step back up to championship dominate caliber of the past..

Filed Under: Steelers, Funny and Interesting Stuff
Sometimes in the overload of a press conference, mucho basic info is overlooked. Take Mike Tomlin’s news conference for example.
Q: In what ways is Dixon better now than he was a year ago, or even at the start of training camp?
A: Just in general, overall mastery of our offense, the spewing of the verbiage, the fluid understanding of where to distribute the football, the understanding of protections and so forth.
This was Head Coach Mike Tomlin answering the question regarding the maturation process that he’s seen in Dennis Dixon. It sounds innocuous, almost dare I say mundane? But when you peel back the skin of the comment and get to the core, this is part of what Coach Mike was saying.
1. Overall mastery of the offense for a QB includes, but is not confined to displaying an understanding of the concept behind the play, having reached a familiarity in technique execution that doesn’t require a check list to run through because that time needed is spent disseminating vital last second info to teammates. Further, knowing who’s in what package personnel-wise and where they have to line-up according to the down and distance. Then listening to the play called in his earpiece while every receiver involved in the last pass reports that they “were open” while reviewing mentally part of the scouting report pertaining to the play being called and then coordinating the huddle and calling the play while finally getting the team to the line of scrimmage all within the time limits and get them set where he can finally get the cadence going so he can snap the freaking ball
2. Spewing of the verbiage is another great Coach Mike-ism that means that Dennis has control of the sometimes complicated word patterns that are used to communicate the plays. Depending on the system, the play calling may be a lengthy, time consuming process (or it was in years gone by) and speeding up the tempo while sounding like you have a mouthful of marbles will not bring clarity to a play called. You should have heard Bubby Brister in full blown “Cajun-speak.” That’ll make you say what? Every time.
3. The fluid understanding of where to distribute the ball is the knowledge of where to go with the ball once you have made your read. Both pre-snap and post-snap. After all the critical elements of point #1 have been met, and the QB is doing the “7-yard walk” to the line of scrimmage he’s downloading a myriad of info starting with the safeties, and moving forward to the defensive front. It’s not forced and it’s not a time of panic. This is where the “letting the game come to you” starts. Also included in this category are the first, second and third or “check down” reads. Remember that timing is critical in any pass route. You can see why a Troy Polamalu and all his pre-snap buzzing around create a nightmare scenario for QB’s.
4. Understanding the protection scheme is equally important to both the QB and the line. Especially the QB, because he’s the one who can get killed out there. After making sure all the backs and receivers have got it right, checking in with the hogs is a smart thing to do. They must be on the same page as the QB, otherwise somebody’s going to go back to the huddle hurting. And the hot receivers better have their heads screwed on straight.
5. And so forth. In other words, I’ve only scratched the surface.

urgle burgle

09-08-2010, 04:18 PM

"We’re going to need those guys to be on the come..."

I like how Mike talks...but can he please stop using this phrase......icky.....